A Novel Method for Monocular Depth Estimation Using an Hourglass Neck Module.

In this paper, we propose a novel method for monocular depth estimation using the hourglass neck module. The proposed method has the following originality. First, feature maps are extracted from Swin Transformer V2 using a masked image modeling (MIM) pretrained model. Since Swin Transformer V2 has a different patch size for each attention stage, it is easier to extract local and global features from images input by the vision transformer (ViT)-based encoder. Second, to maintain the polymorphism and local inductive bias of the feature map extracted from Swin Transformer V2, a feature map is input into the hourglass neck module. Third, deformable attention can be used at the waist of the hourglass neck module to reduce the computation cost and highlight the locality of the feature map. Finally, the feature map traverses the neck and proceeds through a decoder, comprised of a deconvolution layer and an upsampling layer, to generate a depth image. To evaluate the objective reliability of the proposed method in this paper, we used the NYU Depth V2 dataset to compare and evaluate the methods published in other papers. As a result of the experiment, the RMSE value of the novel method for monocular depth estimation using the hourglass neck module proposed in this paper was 0.274, which was lower than those published in other papers. The lower the RMSE value, the better the depth estimation method; therefore, its efficiency compared to other techniques has been proven.

North Korean women's reproductive health experience.

OBJECTIVES(S): The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women's reproductive health in North Korea through statements from North Korean female refugees. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted using Colaizzi's methods. Through purposive and snowball sampling, a total of eight North Korean women refugees were recruited. MEASURES: Data were collected through in-depth, unstructured interviews with individual participants. RESULTS: A total of 18 themes, eight theme clusters, and three categories emerged. The three categories of North Korean women's reproductive health experience were: distorted sexual concepts, internalization of sexual repression, and threat of women's health rights. The study on the reproductive health experiences of North Korean women was based on the premise that their "right to health was threatened due to the internalization of sexual repression by distorted sexual concepts." CONCLUSION: The reproductive health of North Korean women must be approached as a fundamental right, and as a human and health right.

Impact of nurse staffing on intent to leave, job satisfaction, and occupational injuries in Korean hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this study was to examine nurse staffing in comprehensive nursing care units in Korea and examine the corresponding nurse outcomes, including intent to leave, job satisfaction, and occupational injuries. A total of 356 nurses working in comprehensive nursing care units at eight small-medium sized Korean hospitals participated in this cross-sectional study. In the day, evening, and night shifts, nurse staffing ranged from 9.00 to 24.82, 9.04 to 24.26, and 9.02 to 25.80, respectively. The nurse staffing on each shift did not have a significant impact on nurses' intent to leave, job satisfaction, and occupational injuries. However, workload had a strong relationship with intent to leave and job satisfaction. Voluntary overtime was related to occupational injuries. These findings demonstrate that workload is an important factor for intent to leave and job satisfaction among nurses working in comprehensive nursing care units. Improvements of the work environment, as well as rearrangement of nurse workload to account for patient acuity and nursing needs, are required for the future expansion of comprehensive nursing care services.

Layered Bismuth Oxyfluoride Nitrates Revealing Large Second-Harmonic Generation and Photocatalytic Properties.

Two novel bismuth oxyfluoride nitrates, Bi2OF3(NO3) and Bi6O6F5(NO3), have been synthesized via hydrothermal reactions. Whereas Bi2OF3(NO3) crystallizes in the centrosymmetric (CS) hexagonal space group, P63/ m, Bi6O6F5(NO3) crystallizes in the polar noncentrosymmetric (NCS) trigonal space group, R3. The backbones of the title compounds reveal double layered structures composed of asymmetric BiF3(O/F)3 or BiO3F2 polyhedra and NO3 trigonal planar groups. The diffuse reflectance spectra indicate that Bi2OF3(NO3) and Bi6O6F5(NO3) contain wide band gaps of 3.5 and 4.0 eV, respectively. Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements suggest that NCS Bi6O6F5(NO3) is Type-I phase-matchable and has a large SHG response of ca. 3 times that of KH2PO4 (KDP). Electron localization function (ELF) analysis indicates that the large SHG efficiency of Bi6O6F5(NO3) is attributed to the synergistic effect of the alignment of NO3- trigonal planar groups and strong interactions between highly polarizable lone pair electrons on Bi3+ and π-delocalized electrons in NO3- groups. Bi2OF3(NO3) also exhibits a very good photocatalytic degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) under the UV light irradiation.

From a Metastable Layer to a Stable Ring: A Kinetic Study for Transformation Reactions of Li2 Mo3 TeO12 to Polyoxometalates.

A metastable tellurite, Li2 Mo3 TeO12 , revealing a corrugated layered structure in an extremely strained coordination environment was hydrothermally synthesized in high yield. Li2 Mo3 TeO12 undergoes Li+ -exchange-driven facile structural transformation reactions to polyoxometalates. The kinetic data for the transformation reactions at various conditions were successfully obtained by simple lab-source powder X-ray diffraction. The investigation suggests that the solid-state transformation reactions may occur through a series of steps; substitution, decomposition, recombination, and precipitation. This new finding could be utilized in discovering functional metastable materials as well as understanding their phase transition mechanisms.

Variable Asymmetric Chains in Transition Metal Oxyfluorides: Structure-Second-Harmonic-Generation Property Relationships.

Four novel transition metal oxyfluorides, [Zn(pz)3][MoO2F4]·0.1H2O (1), [Zn(pz)2F2][Zn(pz)3]2[WO2F4]2 (2), [Cd(pz)4][Cd(pz)4(H2O)][MoO2F4]2·0.625H2O (3), and [Zn(mpz)3]2[MoO2F4]2 (4) (pz = pyrazole; mpz = 3-methyl pyrazole) have been synthesized. Compounds 1 and 4 contain helical chains. Compound 2 accommodates zigzag chains, and compound 3 has quasi-one-dimensional linear chains. The variable chain structures are found to be attributable to the different structure-directing anionic groups and hydrogen bonding interactions. Compound 4 crystallized in the noncentrosymmetric (NCS) polar space group, Pna21, is nonphase-matchable (Type I), and reveals a moderate second-harmonic-generation (SHG) efficiency (10 × α-SiO2). The observed SHG efficiency of compound 4 is due to the small net polarization occurring from the arrangement of ZnN3F2 trigonal bipyramids. Spectroscopic and thermal characterizations along with calculations for the title materials are reported.

Syntheses, Structures, and Characterization of Quaternary Tellurites, Li3MTe4O11 (M = Al, Ga, and Fe).

Three new quaternary lithium metal tellurites, Li3MTe4O11 (M = Al, Ga, and Fe), have been synthesized through hydrothermal and solid-state reactions by heating a mixture of LiOH·H2O, TeO2, and M2O3. The structures of the title compounds have been determined by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Li3MTe4O11 reveal three-dimensional (3D) frameworks that consist of MO6 octahedra, TeO3 trigonal pyramids, and TeO4 polyhedra. The variable coordination mode of Te4+ within the framework leads to the formation of 1D channels that host Li+ cations on both tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The bulk and grain boundary Li+ ion conductivities for a Li3FeTe4O11 pellet in open air are estimated to be 1.0 × 10-4 and 2.7 × 10-6 S cm-1, respectively, at room temperature from the impedance profile analysis. A lower activation energy of 19.9 kJ mol-1 is obtained for the system, which is similar to that of Li10GeP2S12 (24 kJ mol-1). Detailed characterizations such as thermal, spectroscopic, and magnetic properties for the reported materials are also reported.

Photoconversion Mechanisms and the Origin of Second-Harmonic Generation in Metal Iodates with Wide Transparency, NaLn(IO3)4 (Ln = La, Ce, Sm, and Eu) and NaLa(IO3)4:Ln3+ (Ln = Sm and Eu).

Four new metal iodates, namely, NaLn(IO3)4 (Ln = La, Ce, Sm, and Eu), and a series of NaLa(IO3)4:Ln3+ (Ln = Sm and Eu) solid solutions were synthesized through hydrothermal reactions. The structures of the title compounds are similar to that of NaY(IO3)4 crystallizing in the acentric monoclinic space group Cc. The iodate materials reveal layered structures composed of LnO8 square antiprisms and IO3 polyhedra, in which each layer is connected by the I···O interactions. NaLa(IO3)4 suggests a great potential as a matrix for optical source attributed to its acentricity and broad transparency from visible to mid-IR region. The photoluminescence properties depending on the concentration of Sm3+ reveal that NaLa(IO3)4:Sm3+ undergoes a self-quenching relaxation over 7 mol % of Sm3+ by dipole-quadrupole interactions. Attributable to the asymmetric coordination environment of Ln3+, stronger electric dipole transitions compared to magnetic dipole transitions were observed for both compounds. In addition, the materials exhibit strong second-harmonic generation (SHG) responses and are type I phase-matchable. The structural origin of the SHG properties for the reported iodates is elucidated.

A Polar Titanium-Organic Chain with a Very Large Second-Harmonic-Generation Response.

A noncentrosymmetric (NCS) titanium-organic compound, [H2N(CH3)2]TiO{[NC5H3(CO2)2][NC5H4(CO2)]} (CAUMOF-18), has been synthesized by a solvothermal reaction. The aligned unidimensional polar chain structure of CAUMOF-18 consisting of corner-shared distorted TiO5N2 pentagonal bipyramids is attributed to strong hydrogen-bonding and π-π interactions. CAUMOF-18 reveals a very strong second-harmonic-generation efficiency of 400 times that of α-SiO2 and is phase-matchable (type I). Water-molecule-driven reversible centricity conversion and topotactic transformation to TiO2 microrods for CAUMOF-18 are also presented.

Frequency of Vascular Inflammation and Impact on Neointimal Proliferation of Drug Eluting Stents in Porcine Coronary Arteries.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the frequency of vascular inflammatory reactions with second generation drug eluting stents (DES) compared to first generation DES, and analyze the impact on inflammation and neointimal proliferation in a porcine coronary model. METHODS: A total of 26 stents (7 multi-link VISION, 6 CYPHER, 6 TAXUS and 7 XIENCE V) were deployed in the coronary arteries of 10 domestic swine for 28 days, after which each stent was harvested and processed (divided into 8 or 9 segments) for histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 202 histological segments [146 DES and 56 bare metal stents (BMS)] were included in this study. The mean neointimal thickness was significantly reduced in the DES group compared to the BMS group. The DES group had higher injury scores (DES = 0.99 ± 0.79 versus BMS = 0.67 ± 0.44, p < 0.004), inflammatory scores (DES = 2.09 ± 1.54 versus BMS = 0.64 ± 0.98, p < 0.001) and presence of para-strut granulomas (DES = 35% versus BMS = 2%, p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, the presence of para-strut granulomas correlated with an area of stenosis > 50% (RR: 6.11, 95% CI: 2.97 to 12.59, p = 0.001). In the DES group, the second generation stents had a lower neointimal area (XIENCE V: 1.64 ± 0.90 mm2) compared to the first generation stents (TAXUS: 2.36 ± 1.56 mm2, p = 0.005; CYPHER 2.78 ± 1.82 mm2, p = 0.001). The XIENCE V stents had lower inflammatory scores and lower frequency of para-strut granulomas compared to the first generation stents. CONCLUSIONS: Second generation DES had a lower incidence of vascular inflammatory reactions compared to first generation DES. This biological phenomenon appears to influence the patterns of neointimal formation.

The effects of a smoking cessation programme on health-promoting lifestyles and smoking cessation in smokers who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

Smoking is a major risk factor for not only the occurrence of myocardial ischaemia but also recurrences of vascular stenosis. This study aimed to evaluate health-promoting lifestyles and abstinence rate after a smoking cessation programme. Sixty-two smokers who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group (n = 30) received 10 phone counselling sessions and 21 short message service messages for abstinence and coronary disease prevention, whereas the control group (n = 32) received only the standard education. After the intervention, 14 members of the experimental group had switched to a non-smoking status, confirmed biochemically; moreover, their physical activity and stress management scores increased significantly. However, self-efficacy of smoking cessation was not reflected in the cotinine levels. Thus, it is necessary not only to increase self-efficacy but also to determine the factors that affect the success of smoking cessation so that they can be included in the intervention. Our results suggest that phone counselling and short message service messaging might be important tools for the realization of smoking cessation and lifestyle changes among patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

Experiences of Pediatric Palliative Care Among Bereaved Parents Who Lost a Child With Leukemia in South Korea.

Pediatric palliative care was introduced in South Korea in 2018, with an increased need for care of children with life-limiting conditions, such as leukemia. However, the perspective of parents, who are the primary caregivers, regarding pediatric palliative care has not been explored. This study aimed to describe the pediatric palliative care-related experiences of parents who had lost a child to leukemia to better understand their needs and care outcomes. Ten mothers of children who received pediatric palliative care were recruited. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Phenomenology was applied to elucidate parents' experiences during their children's illness and after bereavement. From 179 main statements and 46 meaningful units, 22 themes were derived and grouped into 11 theme clusters and 4 categories. The participants described that the pediatric palliative care team had an indispensable role in providing emotional support to them and their children; this support continued even after the child's death. In addition, the participants were satisfied with their choice to receive pediatric palliative care and hoped that more regions could benefit from the services. The study findings could contribute to advances and the popularization of pediatric palliative care in South Korea.

Plane Stress Fracture Toughness Testing of Freestanding Ultra-Thin Nanocrystalline Gold Films on Water Surface.

Fracture toughness, which is the resistance of a material to crack propagation, is a critical material property for ensuring the mechanical reliability of damage-tolerant design. Recently, damage-tolerant design is introduced to flexible electronics by adopting micro-cracked ultra-thin nanocrystalline (NC) gold films as stretchable electrodes in a plane stress state. However, experimental investigation of the plane stress fracture toughness of those films remains challenging due to the intrinsic fragility from their sub-100 nm thicknesses. Here, a quantitative method for systematically evaluating the plane stress fracture toughness of freestanding ultra-thin NC gold film on water surface platform is presented. After effectively fabricating single-edge-notched-tension samples with femtosecond laser, mode I stress intensity factors are measured in the plane stress state on water surface. Moreover, investigation regarding the effect of notch length, notch sharpness, and notch tip plasticity validates this method based on linear elastic fracture mechanics theory. As a demonstration, the thickness-dependent plane stress fracture toughness of ultra-thin NC gold films is qualitatively unveiled. It is revealed that the thickness confinement effect on grain boundary sliding induces a transition in fracture behavior. This method is expected to further clarify the fracture-related properties of various ultra-thin films for next-generation electronics.

Quantitative Coronary Angiography vs Intravascular Ultrasonography to Guide Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Although intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) guidance promotes favorable outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), many catheterization laboratories worldwide lack access. Objective: To investigate whether systematic implementation of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) to assist angiography-guided PCI could be an alternative strategy to IVUS guidance during stent implantation. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized, open-label, noninferiority clinical trial enrolled adults (aged ≥18 years) with chronic or acute coronary syndrome and angiographically confirmed native coronary artery stenosis requiring PCI. Patients were enrolled in 6 cardiac centers in Korea from February 23, 2017, to August 23, 2021, and follow-up occurred through August 25, 2022. All principal analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Interventions: After successful guidewire crossing of the first target lesion, patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either QCA- or IVUS-guided PCI. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was target lesion failure at 12 months, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization. The trial was designed assuming an event rate of 8%, with the upper limit of the 1-sided 97.5% CI of the absolute difference in 12-month target lesion failure (QCA-guided PCI minus IVUS-guided PCI) to be less than 3.5 percentage points for noninferiority. Results: The trial included 1528 patients who underwent PCI with QCA guidance (763; mean [SD] age, 64.1 [9.9] years; 574 males [75.2%]) or IVUS guidance (765; mean [SD] age, 64.6 [9.5] years; 622 males [81.3%]). The post-PCI mean (SD) minimum lumen diameter was similar between the QCA- and IVUS-guided PCI groups (2.57 [0.55] vs 2.60 [0.58] mm, P = .26). Target lesion failure at 12 months occurred in 29 of 763 patients (3.81%) in the QCA-guided PCI group and 29 of 765 patients (3.80%) in the IVUS-guided PCI group (absolute risk difference, 0.01 percentage points [95% CI, -1.91 to 1.93 percentage points]; hazard ratio, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.60-1.68]; P = .99). There was no difference in the rates of stent edge dissection (1.2% vs 0.7%, P = .25), coronary perforation (0.2% vs 0.4%, P = .41), or stent thrombosis (0.53% vs 0.66%, P = .74) between the QCA- and IVUS-guided PCI groups. The risk of the primary end point was consistent regardless of subgroup, with no significant interaction. Conclusions and Relevance: Findings of this randomized clinical trial indicate that QCA and IVUS guidance during PCI showed similar rates of target lesion failure at 12 months. However, due to the lower-than-expected rates of target lesion failure in this trial, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02978456.

Predictive value of plaque characteristics for identification of lesions causing ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Functional assessment using fractional flow reserve (FFR) and anatomical assessment using optical coherence tomography (OCT) are used in clinical practice for patients with intermediate coronary stenosis. Moreover, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a common noninvasive imaging technique for evaluating suspected coronary artery disease before being referred for angiography. This study aimed to investigate the association between FFR and plaque characteristics assessed using coronary CTA and OCT for intermediate coronary stenosis. METHODS: Based on a prospective multicenter registry, 159 patients having 339 coronary lesions with intermediate stenosis were included. All patients underwent coronary CTA before being referred for coronary angiography, and both FFR measurements and OCT examinations were performed during angiography. A stenotic lesion identified with FFR ≤0.80 was deemed diagnostic of an ischemia-causing lesion. The predictive value of plaque characteristics assessed using coronary CTA and OCT for identifying lesions causing ischemia was analyzed. RESULTS: Stenosis severity and plaque characteristics on coronary CTA and OCT differed between lesions that caused ischemia and those that did not. In multivariate analysis, low attenuation plaque on coronary CTA (odds ratio [OR]=2.78; P=0.038), thrombus (OR=5.13; P=0.042), plaque rupture (OR=3.25; P=0.017), and intimal vasculature on OCT (OR=2.57; P=0.012) were independent predictors of ischemic lesions. Increasing the number of these plaque characteristics offered incremental improvement in predicting the lesions causing ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive anatomical evaluation of coronary stenosis may provide additional supportive information for predicting the lesions causing ischemia.

The Efficacy and Tolerability of Irbesartan/Amlodipine Combination Therapy in Patients With Essential Hypertension Whose Blood Pressure Were not Controlled by Irbesartan Monotherapy.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of irbesartan (IRB) and amlodipine (AML) combination therapy in patients with essential hypertension whose blood pressure (BP) was not controlled by IRB monotherapy. METHODS: Two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III studies were conducted in Korea (the I-DUO 301 study and the I-DUO 302 study). After a 4-week run-in period with either 150 mg IRB (I-DUO 301 study) or 300 mg IRB (I-DUO 302 study), patients with uncontrolled BP (ie, mean sitting systolic BP [MSSBP] ≥140 mmHg to <180 mmHg and mean sitting diastolic BP <110 mmHg) were randomized to the placebo, AML 5 mg, or AML 10 mg group. A total of 428 participants were enrolled in the 2 I-DUO studies. In the I-DUO 301 study, 271 participants were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either IRB/AML 150/5 mg, IRB/AML 150/10 mg, or IRB 150 mg/placebo. In the I-DUO 302 study, 157 participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive IRB/AML 300/5 mg or IRB 300 mg/placebo. The primary endpoint was the change in MSSBP from baseline to week 8. Tolerability was assessed according to the development of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and clinically significant changes in physical examination, laboratory tests, pulse, and 12-lead electrocardiography. FINDINGS: In I-DUO 301, the mean (SD) changes of MSSBP at week 8 from baseline were -14.78 (12.35) mmHg, -21.47 (12.78) mmHg, and -8.61 (12.19) mmHg in the IRB/AML 150/5 mg, IRB/AML 150/10 mg, and IRB 150 mg/placebo groups, respectively. In I-DUO 302, the mean (SD) changes of MSSBP at week 8 from baseline were -13.30 (12.47) mmHg and -7.19 (15.37) mmHg in the IRB/AML 300/5 mg and IRB 300 mg/placebo groups, respectively. In both studies, all combination groups showed a significantly higher reduction in MSSBP than the IRB monotherapy groups (P < 0.001 for both). TEAEs occurred in 10.00%, 10.99%, and 12.22% of participants in the IRB/AML 150/5 mg, IRB/AML 150/10 mg, and IRB 150 mg/placebo groups, respectively, in I-DUO 301 and in 6.33% and 10.67% of participants in the IRB/AML 300/5 mg and IRB 300 mg/placebo groups, respectively, in I-DUO 302, with no significant between-group differences. Overall, there was one serious adverse event throughout I-DUO study. IMPLICATIONS: The combination of IRB and AML has superior antihypertensive effects compared with IRB alone over an 8-week treatment period, with placebo-like tolerability. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05476354 (I-DUO 301), NCT05475665 (I-DUO 302).

Study of mechanical degradation of freestanding ALD Al2O3 by a hygrothermal environment and a facile protective method for environmentally stable Al2O3: toward highly reliable wearable OLEDs.

Al2O3 deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been used as an insulating and barrier film for thin-film transistors, organic electronics, and microelectromechanical systems. However, ALD Al2O3 films are easily degraded by hydrolysis under harsh hygrothermal conditions, owing to their poor environmental stability. In this study, the mechanical properties and water-vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of environmentally degraded Al2O3 films were investigated by varying the temperature and relative humidity (RH). The hygrothermal environment led to surface and pinhole-concentrated degradation based on aluminum hydroxide, which caused an increased WVTR and reduced elongation of the films in harsher environments. In particular, the elongation of the degraded Al2O3 films was reduced to 0.3%, which is one-third of that of as-deposited Al2O3, and their WVTR increased on the order of 10-1 g m-2 day-1, which is more than 1000 times that of as-deposited Al2O3. Therefore, we introduced a functional silane-based inorganic-organic hybrid layer (silamer) onto the Al2O3 films to improve their environmental stability. The silamer helped preserve the characteristics of Al2O3 films by forming a strong and continuous aluminate phase of Al-O-Si at their interface in hygrothermal environments. Furthermore, the silamer-capped Al2O3 was shown to be an environmentally stable encapsulation for application in wearable organic devices.

Patient-Centered Integrated Model of Home Health Care Services in South Korea (PICS-K).

Introduction: As South Korea is fast becoming an aging society, the need for integrated care of the elderly has increased. 'Community Integrated Care Initiatives' have been implemented by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, home healthcare is insufficient to meet this need. Description: The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) launched the initiative, 'Patient-Centered Integrated model of Home Health Care Services in South Korea (PICS-K)'. Its purpose is to coordinate home healthcare providers by establishing a home health care support center (HHSC) in public hospitals starting in 2021. The PICS-K has six main features: integration of primary care-hospital-personal care-social services through a consortium, HHSC in hospitals with primary care collaboration, increased accessibility, interdisciplinary team (IDT), patient-centeredness, and education. Discussion: Integrating healthcare, personal care, and social services at multiple levels is necessary. Accordingly, platforms to share participant information and service records, and institutional payment system reforms are required. Conclusion: In public hospitals, the HHSC supported primary care, which provides home healthcare. The model combined community healthcare and social services to accomplish the aging-in-place of the homebound population by focusing on their needs. This model will be applicable to other regions in Korea.

Integration of Large-Area Halide Perovskite Single Crystals and Substrates via Chemical Welding Using an Ionic Liquid for Applications in X-ray Detection.

The large carrier lifetime mobility product and strong stopping power for high-energy X-rays make halide perovskites an attractive candidate for next-generation X-ray detectors. In particular, high-energy X-rays in the range of several tens of keV require halide perovskite absorber layers with thicknesses exceeding a few millimeters. To avoid carrier scattering caused by grain boundaries at such thicknesses, the utilization of single crystals is desirable. Large-area single crystals are predominantly grown in a freestanding form, and integration onto a substrate is necessary for the fabrication of commercial devices. However, an effective method for integrating large single crystals onto a substrate has not yet been developed. In this study, a large-area (20 cm2) MAPbBr3 single crystal is bonded to an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate using an ionic liquid, showing strong adhesion strength of 164 kPa. X-ray detectors based on ITO/MAPbBr3 single crystal bonded by methylammonium acetate achieved excellent sensitivity of 91,200 µC Gyair-1 cm-2, the highest among substrate-integrated halide perovskite single crystal X-ray detectors.

Perioperative Antiplatelet Strategy in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery Within One Year After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The optimal antiplatelet therapy (APT) for patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery within 1 year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not yet established. METHODS: Patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery within 1 year after second-generation drug-eluting stent implantation were included from a multicenter prospective registry in Korea. The primary endpoint was 30-day net adverse clinical event (NACE), including all-cause death, major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), and major bleeding events. Covariate adjustment using propensity score was performed. RESULTS: Among 1130 eligible patients, 708 (62.7%) continued APT during non-cardiac surgery. After propensity score adjustment, APT continuation was associated with a lower incidence of NACE (3.7% vs 5.5%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-0.89; P = .019) and MACE (1.1% vs 1.9%; adjusted OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.12-0.99; P = .046), whereas the incidence of major bleeding events was not different between the 2 APT strategies (1.7% vs 2.6%; adjusted OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.25-1.50; P = .273). CONCLUSIONS: The APT continuation strategy was chosen in a substantial proportion of patients and was associated with the benefit of potentially reducing 30-day NACE and MACE with similar incidence of major bleeding events, compared with APT discontinuation. This study suggests a possible benefit of APT continuation in non-cardiac surgery within 1 year of second-generation drug-eluting stent implantation.